Everlasting Waters

EVERLASTING WATERS

By John Santosuosso

"For though from out our bourne of Time and Place

The flood may bear me far,

I hope to see my Pilot face to face

When I have crossed the bar."

Alfred Lord Tennyson, "Crossing the Bar"

The next time as you enter a liturgical church pause for a moment before you look for a place to sit. It is not always the case, but often you will find the baptismal font close to where you are standing. That is no accident. It is part of what we believe. Baptism is the sacrament by which we acknowledge we are part of God's family and belong to God forever. After baptism at some later point in life if you find yourself at the banks of the River Jordan and feel a strong desire to be baptized again, go ahead and do so, but it is not really necessary. Once you are part of God's family you cannot be evicted. You are part of it forever. Actually the Bible appears to indicate that even before we are born God has plans to eventually bring us into the family (Jeremiah 1:5).

The theology of St. Paul the Apostle has played a key role in shaping the foundation of Christian theology, especially its Protestant version. However, perhaps the Protestant Reformation went so deeply in this direction that in baptism we often see it only as a rite for the forgiveness of sin (Acts 22:16). We can agree with Paul that forgiveness is a valuable treasure. Especially during this season of Lent we do well to remember that. Still, we need to be aware of the rest of the story. In baptism God claims us as one of his beloved children. God is fully aware that "the kids" do not always do the right thing. God loves us anyway. This of course is not a license to be destructive.

If you are not baptized will you go to hell? You could if you drive to Hell, Michigan, or visit the Hell post office on Grand Cayman Island. Sadly some well-meaning people both inside and outside the church see baptism as some sort of heavenly fire insurance. Being baptized will not keep you out of hell nor will failure to be baptized, or use enough water, or infant baptism send you there. Baptism is more like a sign that God is at work. Baptism reveals that God is on our side and has a gift for us that is the most valuable thing we can possess.

The gift is God's perfect and eternal love. Try and reject it and you are going to lose every time. You see God has eternity to destroy evil and rebuild the creation. When we are finally worn out resisting God's love, God is just getting started. We are family. God always seeks out the lost sheep, the straying family member. Failure to do so would mean God's love is less than perfect, and that just is impossible.

The next time you attend a baptism, wherever it may be, think about what you are witnessing. There is more going on here than babies crying or laughing and proud family members beaming, although those may be delightful signs. We are actually witnesses to the love of God at work. God is claiming yet another member of the family, one who is "sealed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism and marked Christ's own for ever." (BCP)

So if this is true, why is there suffering in the world and wicked people who resist love in any form? I am not smart enough to answer that. I will not try. Just remember God has eternity on God's side. Ultimately it is not the love of God but suffering and evil that will perish.

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ST PETER'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH BLOG

Rector's Thoughts (October 17, 2026)

By Derek Larson • October 17, 2026

Quick Note: We hope you can join us tonight (Saturday, October 17th) at the rectory for our Backyard Open Mic Night gathering! 6:00pm! Pizza will be provided; you bring anything else you like. Now for what I'm thinking about this week: Here it is! A new look to our weekly newsletter. We hope this design is more accessible, engaging, community oriented, and clear in sharing all that's going on in the parish. Thank you so much to our Communications Team who worked hard on this. We highly encourage you to subscribe to our text messages so that you can receive it right on your phone as well! You might notice in the bottom section of the newsletter (called, "All the Rest"), we have three titles: The Table, The Living Room, and the Kitchen. A word about these images. The word parish literally means "to dwell beside". The idea is that a parish is a community of people who share life with one another. Let's take that idea a step further and imagine that St. Peter's is our spiritual family home. Where in the home do people gather? From the earliest centuries of the Church, Christian faith has been lived out in three primary ways. The Benedictines call these three areas Prayer, Study, and Work. A healthy and mature Christian faith includes all three areas. The three areas are also guiding principles in our parish life together. The Table is the place we gather for prayer. We gather each week at the altar for the Eucharist, to share a Divine meal with God and one another. We gather each day for Morning and Evening Prayer, speaking aloud the names of those on our parish prayer list and the needs of the world in the presence of Christ and the holy sacrament. The Table is a metaphor for prayer. The Living Room is the place we gather to grow in our Christian faith. It's where we share stories with one another, get to know each other, and spend time with one another. In Sunday School, Bible Study, and small groups, we gather to learn. At coffee hour, Engage Cafe, and festive dinners we gather to grow closer to one another. And thus the Living Room is a metaphor for fellowship and formation (study). The Kitchen is the place we gather to serve. Where aprons are put on, hands are washed, and sleeves are rolled up as we work together to take care of the community. At St. Peter's we serve both internally (through the work of Ministry Teams, the Vestry, the Choir, the Altar Guild, Lectors, etc.) and externally (through the work of Laundry Love, Friends in the Park, Meals on Wheels baskets, and so much more). The Kitchen is a metaphor for serving (work). To live out our lives as Christians means to live in Christian community in these three areas. In this new weekly newsletter, all of the relevant events, gatherings, and happenings in the parish will be listed in these areas to help us consider how we are engaging in the life of the whole parish. As you walk with others in faith at St. Peter's, I invite you to regularly participate in at least one gathering for prayer, one gathering for formation, and one way to serve. When we participate in the life of the parish in these three areas, not only will we see our parish strengthened, we'll see our relationships flourish and our personal faith lives grow. I hope you like the new design! I can't wait to see some photos that you submit to be featured each week. That's what's on my mind this week. I wonder what's on yours. I'd love to hear. Peace, Derek The Rev. Derek Larson

Rector's Thoughts- July 10, 2026

By Derek Larson • September 8, 2026

This week I am thinking about the treasure trove that is The Book of Common Prayer and other authorized liturgies in the Episcopal tradition. Most of us have no idea just how many wonderful prayers and liturgies there are for all occasions of life. For obvious reasons, the one that is foremost on my mind is on page 439 in The Book of Common Prayer, Thanksgiving for the Birth or Adoption of a Child. This liturgy has quite a history, going back hundreds of years. It has its roots in the Jewish tradition of purification rites for women 40 days after childbirth, but equally emphasizes thanksgiving for the birth of a child. In centuries where mortality rates of women during the birth of a child were very high, it became particularly important to thank God for safety in coming through it. It also was often the first time much of the community would be introduced to the child, who may or may not have been baptized yet, and thus it became a presentation of the child to God and to the community of God.